Machine for breasting louis heels



y 1955 J. P. QUIRK ETAL MACHINE FOR BRESTING LOUIS HEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 26, 1952 INVENTORS JUSTIN P. Qumn LUDWIG G.F? HAFNER fiTfflfi/Vfy July 12, 1955 J, P. QUIRK ETAL MACHINE FOR BRESTING LOUIS HEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26, 1952 iri-UM O /7 FIG. 8.

lNVENTaRfi. JUSTIN P. UIRK LUDWlG G. P HAFNER United States Patent O Bush MACHLIE FGR BREASTING LGUES mELS Justin P. Quirk, St. Louis County, and Ludwig G. P. Hafner, St. Louis, Mo, assignors to Quirk Machinery Company, St. Louis, Mt, a corporation of Delaware Application March 26, 1952, Serial No. 278,634

13 Claims. (Cl. 12-471) This invention pertains to machines for breasting wooden heels and particularly for Louis heels in which the breast portion has a particular shape.

An object of this invention is to provide a machine by which such breasting operation may be carried out rapid ly in a simple manner and with a minimum of wastage.

This invention provides, in general terms, a work head arranged to rotate continuously past a rotating cutter. This head carries a plurality of jacks for holding heel lanks while the rotation of the head carries them past the cutter in succession so that each blank is operated upon to form the breast surface. A loading holder is provided adapted to grip a blank and deliver it to a heel seat on the head. Said holder is rotatably mounted and provided with means engageable with the head when moved adjacent thereto, to carry the holder along with the head while the blank is being delivered thereto and until the jack has clamped the blank, after which the holder is retracted. The head is mounted so as to be bodily movable toward and away from the cutter and a cam mechanism is provided to control such movement so as to cut the shoulder portion of the breast to any desired curvature. Such mechanism includes a unitary cam and a follower, said cam having its peripheral surface formed to curvatures varying axially therealong, and said follower being adjustable axially of said cam, so that, by adjustment of said follower, any of said curvatures may be selected and the heel blank formed in accordance therewith.

A preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a machine embodying this invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged, diagrammatic end view, from the left end of Fig. l, of the cam mechanism, showing the relative position of the cutter,

Figure 3 is a detail section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1,

Fi ure 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 1,

Figure 6 is a detail of Fig. 5 showing another position of the holder,

Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 1,

Figure 8 is a detail section on line 8--8 of Fig. 7,

Figure 9 is a detail section on line 95' of Fig. l, and

Figure 10 is a detail section on line 10-1i of Fig. 4.

in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings 1 designates any suitable table or support on which is mounted a base 2 carrying four parallel guide rods 3. A frame 4, carrying at its ends bearing supports 5 and 5 is arranged to slide on the guide rods 3. Springs 7, one on each of the rods 3, are arranged to support a portion of the weight of the frame 4 and the mechanism carried thereby.

Mounted in anti-friction bearings 8 and 9 in the hearing supports 5 and 6 respectively, is a shaft or spindle it Formed or mounted on said spindle it is a work head 11 having formed thereon heel seats 12. Said head carries a four-arm bracket having an arm 13 opposite each seat 12. Each of said arms carries a jack comprising a fluid presice sure cylinder 14 connected by a lever 15, pivoted on a pin 16, to a holding jaw 17 engageable with a heel blank 18 on the seat 12. The pivot pin 16 is supported in a slide 1% on the arm 13, which slide also supports the cylinder 14. Said slide is threaded to receive an adjusting screw 2i": having an operating button 21. The jaw 17 is also mounted on a slide 22 movable along the arm 13. Thus by manipulation of the button 21 both the cylinder 14 and the jaw 17 may be adjusted to any desired spacing from the seat 12. A spring 23 on the screw 2% and confined between a pair of pins 24 on the slide 19 and similar pins 25 on the slide 22, maintains said jaw in constant relation to said cylinder. When pressure is admitted to the cylinder 1 its plunger moves the right end (Fig. l) of the lever 15' upward, thereby clamping the jaw 17 down upon the blank This jack is similar to that described in the patent to J'. P. Quirk and L. G. P. Hafner, No. 2,548,321 issued April 10, i.

Mounted on a hub 25 keyed to the shaft it) is a cam 27. This cam may be split axially on a diameter thereof as indicated at 27:! in Fig. 2, so that it may be dismounted without disassembling the machine. The halves thereof may be mounted on the hub 26 by means of screws 28 or otherwise. The cam 27 is formed with a central peripheral zone, A, 3, truly cylindrical and coaxial with the shaft 10. T he portions of the peripheral surface on opposite sides of the zone A are formed with warped portions providing depressed portions 27b and elevated portions 270 relative to said zone A. The portions 270 are formed so that in each quadrant the sector B, Fig. 2, has a greater radius of curvature than the zone A, and at the portions 2% said sector B has a radius less than that of the zone A. in each case this difierence in curvature increases with the distance from the middle zone'A. Between said sectors B for short sectors C the cam surface is truly cylindrical and of the same radius as the zone A. A cam follower 29 on a shaft or spindle 39, is journaled for rotation in a bracket 3ft on the base 2. Said spindle is connected by an arm 32 to an adjusting screw 33 mounted in said bracket, for adjusting the position of said follower relative to the cam 27. The position of said follower on the base 2 is such that the cam 27 rests upon it. That portion of the weight carried by the shaft 16 not supported by the springs 7 is borne by the follower 2?. By adjustment of the screw 33, the follower may be positioned to bear against the zone A or either of the portions 275 or 27c of the cam. When the follower is positioned to bear on one of the latter portions the effect thereof, upon rotation of the shaft it will be to cause said shaft and the frame 4 to move toward and away from said follower. the frame 4 sliding on the rods 3.

The bracket 31 is so located on the base 2 that the follower 29 is in a plane through the axis of the shaft 10 at 45 to the vertical, as indicated in Fig. 2. A rotary cutter, indicated diagrammatically in Fig. l at 34 and in Fig. 2 by the circle with the same number, is mounted in position to operate on the blank 18 as it passes the cutter. The showing in Fig. 1 is as if the cutter were mounted in the vertical plane. Actually, however, it is in the 45 plane as indicated in Fig. 2. In the latter figure the directions of rotation of the head 11 and the cutter are indicated by the arrows. It may be seen from this figure that the cooperation of the cam and the follower will cause the head 11 to approach and recede from the cutter 34, thereby to control the curvature of the shoulder portion 18a of the heel blank, formed by the operation of the cutter. The desired curvature may be selected by adjusting the follower axially of the cam by means of the screw 33.

Feeding mechanism for feeding heel blanks to the work head is shown in Figs. 1, 5, and 6. This is similar to the feeding mechanism described in Patent No.

lateral outlets 51, one for each of the heel seats 1 2,548,321 issued April 10, 1951, to J; P. Quirk and L. G. P. Hafner, with certain modifications and improvements. Mounted for rotation in a pedestal 35 on the table 1 is a cylinder 36 having therein a spring-loaded plunger 37. Rigidly mounted on the cylinder 36 is a guide arm 38 extending toward the head 11. A torsion spring 39 housed in a recess in the pedestal 35 o erates to position the guide 38 normally with a lug 4i) thereon against a stop 41 on the pedestal (Fig. Slidable on theguide 38 is a loading holder 42 having a base portion 43 secured to the plunger 37 of the cylinder 36 and provided with a recess adapted to receive the guide arm 33 as shown in Fig. 5. The holder 42 is provided with any suitable means for releasably holding a heel blank 1-3 for delivery to the head 11. In the embodiment illustrated the holder 42 is in the form of a sort of fork having two prongs embracing the guide 38. One of these prongs has an adjustable holding member or finger 65 which may be in the form of a knife-edged strip. This strip is ad justable to position the heel blank for delivery to the head. The other prong of the fork carries a small pneumatic cylinder 66 having a spring-loaded plunger, not shown, which operates a clamping pin 67 adapted to press the blank against the strip 65. The blank is held between the strip 65 and the pin 67 as it slides along the guide arm 33 to be delivered to the head. The base 43 of the holder is provided with a pin 44 offset from the axis of the plunger 37 and providing a pick-up element extending toward the head 11. Said head is provided with a series of holes 45 similarly offset from the axis of the head. The cylinder 36 is mounted so that its axis coincides with that of the head 11. Accordingly, when the plunger 37 is projected to move the holder 4-2 toward the head ll, the pin 44- will enter one of the holes 5 to lock the holder to the head for rotation therewith. There are four such holes 45, one for each heel seat 12.

In the embodiment illustrated the several devices are operated in proper sequence by pneumatic actuating means and cam-operated control means so as to function continuously and automatically. The shaft It) is driven by a worm-wheel 46 engaging a worm 47 suitably ournaled in a housing 48 on the frame 4. The worm 47 driven by a flexible driving connection of any suitable kind connected to a source of power not shown. The shaft has an'axial bore 49 connected by a suitable rorating connection 5% to a source of pneumatic pressure not shown. The other end of this bore has a plurality of Connected to each of said outlets is a flexible duct 52 leading to a control valve 53 which is connected by another lienible duct 5 with the cylinder 14 for that heel seat. The valve 53 has an operating button 55 (Fig. 8) engageable by a lever 56 pivoted at 57 on the valve housing and equipped at its other end with a roller 58 engageable by a cam 59 on the bearing support 5. When the roller engages the cam 59 (after a heel blank has been delivered to the seat 12) the lever'5r operates the valve to admit pressure to the cylinder 14 which then actuates the jack to clamp the heel blank to the seat 12. A valve on mounted on the frame 4 has as operating button 61 positioned to be engaged by short arcuate cams 62 on the rear of the head 11 as said head rotates. These cams are so located that engagement thereof with the button 61 takes place while the follower 93 is on a cylindrical sector C of the cam 27. The valve 66 is connected by suitable ducts, not shown, to the source of pressure sup ply and to the inlet 63 of the cylinder 36. This inlet leads through a fitting 63 on the cylinder 36, which ting contains a reducing valve adjusted to retard the how of air sufiiciently to'prevent too vigorous action in moving the holder 42 with consequent danger of dislodging the heel blank.

operation the shaft Iii? is driven at a uniform speed so that the head 12 with its jacks rotates uniformly in the direction indicated by the arrow in Pig. 2.

The follower 29 is adjusted to the desired position on the cam 27 by means of the screw 33. With the loading holder 42 in its retracted position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, the pin -57 is retracted and a heel blank may be placed upon the guide plate 33 between the strip 65 and the pin 67. Said plate 38 thus provides a prepositioning platform for the blank. As the head rotates, when the follower engages one of the sectors C, one of the cams 62 operates the valve 6b to admit pressure to the inlet 63 of the cylinder The valveat the same time admits air to the cylinder 66 via a flexible hose 69. Since the pressure is admitted simultaneously to theinlet 63 and the cylinder 66, and the flow into the cylinder 36 is retarded, the action the pin 67 will grip the heel blank before the holder 4-2 begins to move. The pressure is thus gradually supplied to the cylinder 36 which thereupon projects its pin ger 3"? to move the holder 42 so as to deliver the blank id the uppermost seat 12. During this move ment or" the holder the pin 4 thereon enters one of the holes holder is thereby locked to the head to rotate therewith for a short time interval. During that interval the roller 53 for the valve 53 controlling the uppermost jack, engages the cam 59. This causes said valve to operate the cylinder 14 to cause the jack to clamp the heel blank on the seat 12. Shortly thereafter, but while the follower is still on the sector C, the cam 62 releases the roller causing the valve 53 to exhaust the pressure from the cylinders 36 and as so that the blank is released, the plu .r 37 is retracted and the holder 42 returned to its dotted-line position in Fig. 1. Then the spring 39 returns the holder from the position of Fig. 6, to which it has been turned by rotation of the head 11, back to the position of Fig. 5, with the lug against the stop 41. Meanwhile the cam 59 maintains the valve 663 in position to hold the clamping pressure of the jack on the blank 18 until the latter is carried past the cutter 34 as indicated in Fig.2 and the breast is formed by the cutter. After the blank has passed the lowermost position of Fig. 2 the cam 59 terminates and releases the jack. This releases the formed heel blank to permit it to drop out of the clamp into a suitable receptacle not shown.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention. Parts of the invention may be used without the whole and improvements may be added while retaining some or all of the advantages of the invention.

We claim:

1. ln a heel breasting machine of the character described having a rotary cutter, a work head mounted for V rotation adjacent said cutter, plurality of work-holding jacks on said head, means for driving said head in con.- tinuous rotation, a loader adapted to hold a heel blank and movable to deliver the same to one of said jacks, and.

means operating upon such movement to temporarily connect said loader with said head tocause the former to move with the latter during such delivery. a

2. in a heel breasting machine of the character described having a rotary cutter, a work head mounted for rotation adjacent said cutter, a plurality of work-holding jacks on said head, means for driving said head in continuous rotation, a loader adapted to hold a heel blank and movable to deliver the same to one of said jacks, means operating upon such movement to temporarily connect said loader with said head to cause the formerto move with the latter during such delivery, and an actuator timed by the rotation of said head operating to actuate each jack such temporary connection to clamp the heel blank. 7

3. in a heel hreasting machine of the character described having a rotary cutter, a work head mounted for rotation adjacent said cutter, a plurality of work-holding jacks on said head, means for driving said head in continuous rotation, a loading holder adapted to receive and hold a heel blank, said holder being pivotally mounted opposite said head, a pick-up element on said holder engageable with said head, and means operating in timed relation with said head to rntve said holder to bring said pick-up element into engagement with said head and thereafter to retract said holder to disengage said element.

4. In a heel breasting machine of the character described having a rotary cutter, a work head mounted for rotation adjacent said cutter, a plurality of work-holding jacks on said head, means for driving said head in continuous rotation, a loading holder adapted to receive and hold a heel blank, a pivot for said holder whereon the holder may turn with said head, said holder also being shiftable axially of said pivot, a pick-up element on said holder engageable with said head, an actuator operating in timed relation to the rotation of said head to shift said holder for engagement of said pick-up element with said head and thereafter to retreat said holder to disengage said element.

5. In a heel forming machine of the character described, a work head mounted for rotation, a plurality of work-holding jacks on said head, a work loader adapted to hold a heel blank mounted for shifting movement toward and from said head and for rotary movement with said head, an actuator operating to shift said loader toward said head and after a predetermined time interval to retract the same, and mutually engageable means on said holder and said head operating to move the holder with the head during such interval.

6. In a heel forming machine of the character described, a work head mounted for rotation, a plurality of Work-holding jacks on said head, a Work loader adapted to hold a heel blank, a pivot on which said holder is mounted for rocking movement, a plunger slidable along the axis of said pivot and connected to said holder to move the same toward said head for feeding a. heel blank thereto, a pick-up pin on said holder, said head having a socket adapted to receive said pin, and means for moving said plunger in timed relation to the rotation of said head.

7. In a heel breasting machine of the character described having a rotary cutter, a work head mounted for rotation adjacent said cutter, a plurality of Workholding jacks on said head, means for driving said head in continuous rotation, a loader adapted to hold a heel blank and movable to deliver the same to one of said jacks, means operating upon such movement to temporarily connect said holder with said head to cause the former to move with the latter during such delivery, pneumatic means for actuating said loader to deliver the blank and after a predetermined time interval to retract said holder, and pneumatic means timed to actuate said jack to clamp the blank so delivered during such interval and to hold the same until it has passed and been operated upon by said cutter.

8. In a heel forming machine of the character described having a cutter; a work-head assembly including a shaft, a work head mounted thereon and bearings for said shaft, a base, means for slidably mounting said hearings on said base for up-and-down movement of said assembly thereon, a cam on said shaft, a follower on said base engageable with said cam, and yielding means for supporting the weight of said assembly, such weight being divided between said supporting means and said follower.

9. In a heel forming machine of the character described having a cutter; a work-head assembly including a shaft, a work head mounted thereon and bearings for said shaft, a base, a series of guide rods on said base on which said bearings are slidably mounted, a cam on said shaft, a follower on said base engageable with said cam, and springs on said rods for supporting the weight of said assembly, such weight being divided between said springs and said follower.

10. In a heel forming machine of the character described having a cutter; a base, a shaft movably journaled for rotation on said base, a work head mounted on said shaft for rotation adjacent said cutter, a cam fixed on said shaft for rotation therewith and having a cam surface progressively varying in contour axially therealong, a follower on said base engaging said cam and adjustable axially thereof, whereby interaction of said cam and follower causes variation in the position of said head relative to said cutter to control the curvature of the cut, said cam surface having a cylindrical sector, a loader adapted to hold a heel blank and movable to deliver the same to said head, means for so moving said loader, and control means timed with the rotation of said cam to cause actuation of said moving means while said follower is in engagement with said cylindrical sector of said cam.

11. In a machine for forming wood heels and the like, the combination comprising: a rotating work head, a plurality of work holding devices on said head, a loading holder having means for reciprocating it to deliver blanks singly to said holding devices, and means for connecting and, disconnecting said loading holder to said head whereby the holder rotates momentarily with the head while said loading holder delivers a blank to a holding device.

12. In a machine for forming wood heels and the like, the combination comprising: a rotating work head, a plurality of work holding devices on said head, a loading holder pivotally supported coaxial with said work head, means for reciprocating said loading holder to deliver blanks singly to said holding devices, and means for connecting and disconnecting said loading holder to said head whereby the holder moves rotatively with the work holder while said loading holder delivers a blank to a holding device.

13. In a machine for forming wood heels and the like, the combination comprising: a rotating work head, a work holding device on said head, a prepositioning platform for the blank, a loading holder adapted to grip the blank, means for reciprocating said holder toward the head, and means for connecting and disconnecting said holder to said head whereby the holder rotates momentarily with the head while said loading holder delivers a blank to said work holding device from said prepositioning platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 923,782 Evans et a1. June 1, 1909 955.865 Gouldbourn Apr. 26, 1910 1,496,539 Hudson June 3, 1924 1,860,789 Sawyer May 31, 1932 2,004,070 Gulliford June 4, 1935 2,544,470 Pettengill et al. Mar. 6, 1951 2,548,321 Quirk et al. Apr. 10, 1951 2,573,692 Constantine et a1. Nov. 6, 1951 

